U.N. official on visit to Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The U.N. under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations is in the volatile Darfur region of Sudan to discuss the deteriorating security situation.

Alain Le Roy, the United Nations' top authority for Darfur, is on his first official visit to the region. Le Roy met with Minni Minawi, head of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, as part of an effort to reopen a dialogue for the stalled Darfur Peace Agreement.

Officials say while the SLA signed the agreement, several other rebel factions have not. The United Nations has called on the other rebel groups to come together at the negotiating table to work out a deal, the United Nations reported.

Darfur increasingly has been ravaged by ongoing violence. The United Nations estimates as many as 300,000 people have been killed as a result of the violence or by the devastating malnutrition caused by the violence. Officials say more than 2.7 million people have been displaced as a result of the turbulent conditions.

Le Roy is also meeting with leaders of the Sudanese government during the visit.